Brighton Week in Review, Monday 9th November: Yalcouye and Gomez Fire Albion to Europa Win and Second in the Premier League
What a week for Albion. A Malick Yalcouye header was enough to see off Getafe 1-0 in Madrid in the Conference League, with Jaouen Hadjam unlucky to hit the woodwork twice as Brighton got back to winning ways in Europe (The Argus) (Sky Sports). Fabian Hurzeler praised a professional performance and was delighted to see a third clean sheet in a row at the Estadio Coliseum (The Argus), though he was refreshingly honest afterwards, admitting his side were "quite lazy" despite the win (SussexWorld) (Football365). Yalcouye continues to catch the eye as an unlikely star nobody saw coming, with his Getafe header his fourth goal of the season (SussexWorld).
The real headline news came on Sunday as Brighton brushed aside ten-man Brentford 2-0 at the Amex to move up to second in the Premier League. Diego Gomez scored a stunning long-range thunderbolt and Pascal Gross added a penalty either side of Igor Thiago's red card for the Bees striker, who was sent off for violent conduct following a VAR review (The Argus) (Sky Sports) (The Guardian) (BBC Sport). The result lifted Brighton above Manchester City and into second spot, sparking plenty of debate about whether Hurzeler's side can keep pace with Arsenal at the top (Football365) (BBC Sport). Gross, though, was quick to play down any title talk despite his goal in the win (SussexWorld). Hurzeler reflected warmly on the victory afterwards, saying fans should be excited watching his team (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (BBC Sport), while the Premier League issued an official statement explaining the Thiago dismissal amid plenty of chatter about his reaction to the red card (talkSPORT) (SussexWorld).
That Brentford win followed on from a notable away day at Manchester City the previous weekend, a result that had pundits purring - Paul Scholes reportedly said the news "boomed round the stadium" after watching Brighton train at Salford City (SussexWorld), and it prompted talk of Brighton as neutrals' favourites to deny Arsenal and City the title (SussexWorld). Hurzeler's impressive body of work saw him nominated again for Premier League Manager of the Month and pick up another LMA Performance of the Week award (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com).
On the injury front, Brighton have been managing a lengthy casualty list heading into the Getafe and Brentford fixtures, with Ferdi Kadioglu, Michael Olakigbe Azeez and Jack Hinshelwood among those discussed in team news ahead of Madrid (SussexWorld), while reports in the build-up to the Getafe trip flagged as many as six absentees and a doubt for Hurzeler's side (SussexWorld). Three were missing for the Getafe match itself (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), and Hurzeler later said he was hopeful Chema could return in time to face Brentford (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com).
There was transfer talk aplenty too. Brighton are reportedly keeping tabs on Estoril's 18-year-old centre-back Jordan Arnolin, with Barcelona and Lille also said to be scouting the youngster after he signed his first professional contract (Sports Mole) (TeamTalk). Elsewhere, Brighton are said to be renewing interest in a rare double deal for Cologne's El Mala brothers, though any move for winger Said El Mala could face competition from PSG (TeamTalk). On the other side of the ledger, Liverpool are reportedly considering a move for Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen amid reported "concerns" over their current number one (Football365), though Verbruggen himself gave a measured answer when asked directly about transfer speculation linking him with a La Liga move (SussexWorld).
In the women's game, Brighton head to Spurs in the WSL (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), with Caitlin Hayes earning a nomination for WSL player of the month and Kiko Seike up for the PFA equivalent award (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). There was also a reminder of a recent comeback win over Crystal Palace, with Hayes and Peskett among those on the scoresheet (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com).
Elsewhere, Jason Steele has been named in the England squad for Nations League games (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), and three Albion youngsters have been called up to the England Under-21 squad (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). Away from the pitch, Heart of Midlothian - owned by Brighton chairman Tony Bloom - posted a £2.4m loss in his first year in charge, despite turnover of more than £23m (BBC Sport).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
